64 ZOOLOGY. 



8hai3ed ones have a proper form for ear-jewels, and are liiglilj esteemed. 

 Being composed of carbonate of lime and albumen, pearls are subject to be 

 soiled by the acid in sweat. 



Artificial 2'x^ai'l^', with a perfect lustre, arc made by lining bubbles of very 

 thin glass with the silvery material which lines the scales of freshwater fish, 

 of the genus Leuciscus. This is introduced in suspension, in a liquid, and 

 when dry, wax is introduced to give strength and solidity. 



Pearl fisheries are conducted at many places in various parts of the 

 world, but the chief are in the east. Among the most important are 

 those of the Persian Gulf, and the coasts of Coromaudel, Ceylon, and 

 Japan. The Persian Gulf has been a favorite locality from a remote period. 

 Panama and the coast of Columbia were good localities formerly. A round 

 and perfect pearl, as large as a pigeon's egg, belonging to Phili]) II. of Spain, 

 and worth $150,000, was taken at the Ishmd of St. Margarita, on the north 

 coast of South America ; and Tavernier bought one from Catifa, in Arabia 

 (an ancient locality), for £110,000. 



About $450,000 are annually produced by the fisheries at the Bahrein 

 Islands in the Persian Gulf, which are fished in June and July. At Ceylon 

 the fishing extends from February to the beginning of April, but the fishing 

 days rarely exceed thirty, from many causes. There are various holidays 

 kept by the members of different castes and religions among the divers. A 

 black race from the coast of India j^rofess the Catholic faith, and do not 

 fish on Sunday ; and other days are kept as holidays by the heterogeneous 

 population. Storms also interfere with the fishing. 



The beds of pearl shells lie at a depth of six or eight fathoms, and the 

 fishing is done by divers who are able to remain under water from a 

 minute to a minute and a half, or even longer. Indeed, the earlier writers 

 upon the subject assert that a diver might remain submerged one fourth 

 or half an hour, but this is an exaggeration. 



Pearls from freshwater mussels were sent from Perth to London between 

 the years 1761 and 1764, to the amount of £10,000, but the fisheries were 

 soon exhausted. A pearl weighing thirty-three grains was taken at this 

 locality. The price of these pearls varied from ten to thirty-six shillings 

 an ounce. 



The pearl fisheries of Ceylon formerly employed 50,000 or 60,000 men at 

 sea or on shore. Captain Percival, in his account of the island, describes the 

 mode of proceeding. The shore, deserted at other times, presents during 

 the fishing season a busy scene made up of people of various colors 

 and countries ; fishers, merchants, brokers, jewellers, speculators in shells 

 before they are opened, and conjurors who are well paid to perform incan- 

 tations to prevent the sharks from attacking the divers. The chief locality 

 is ofl" the coast of Condatchy, twenty miles at sea. The right of fishing is 

 sold every season by the government to the highest bidder for each of the 

 localities into" which the bank is divided, and the purchaser is generally a 

 black merchant. The same spot is not allowed to be fished again for three 

 or four years, and the shell is supposed to arrive at maturity in seven j^ears. 



At the firing of a signal gun at ten o'clock at night, the fleet of boats 

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